YSL Arty Oval Ring

I'm still in love with this ring, this green colour is so beautiful!
You can get it here.

Love VRAT xx
Ps, my birthday's Jaunary 30th...

Givenchy Vertebrae Ring

The beautiful ring is hand-made in pale gold silver-gilt in a high jewelry atelier located on place Vendôme, in Paris.
The precious object comes in a black lacquered wooden box lined with ivory silk satin. A limited edition of 100, each piece is numbered and engraved inside the ring.

It will be available from November 2011 in all Givenchy flagship stores and at select stockists worldwide.
Beautiful!

Christmas present pleaseeeeee.

Love VRAT xx


Source: http://www.anothermag.com/loves

Harper's Bazaar Russia: 15th Birthday

Harper’s Bazaar Russia are celebrating their fifteenth anniversary with fifteen magazine covers for their November issue!

They are all so wonderful, my personal favourites are Versace, because I am gold magpie and Karl Lagerfelds!

Here they are:

Giorgio Armani

Antonio Marras

Diane Von Furstenberg

Dolce & Gabbana

Emilio Pucci

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Karl Lagerfeld

Michael Kors

Missoni

Moschino

Ralph Lauren

Roberto Cavalli

Sonia Rykiel

Versace

Viktor & Rolf

 Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Love VRAT xx

Taken from: http://buanacainte.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/harpers-bazaar-russia-15th-birthday-edition/

The most expensive pieces of jewellery ever sold at auction

 A vivid blue diamond ring

 What: A cushion-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 6.01 carats, flanked on each side by an oval pink diamond weighing 0.46 and 0.44 carat respectively, mounted in platinum.

Sale price: $10 million 

When: Oct. 5, 2011

Where: Sotheby's Hong Kong

Empress Eugenie Brooch 

What: An antique diamond bow brooch from François Kramer, circa 1855. It was designed as an old mine and old European-cut diamond openwork sculpted bow.

The brooch was created by François Kramer for the wife of Napoléon III, Empress Eugénie. Henri Loyrette, President of the Louvre and his administration arrangement a private sale with Christie's to bring the brooch back to France.

Sale Price: $10.5 million 

When: April 22, 2008

Where: Christies New York 

Unmounted heart shaped diamond

 

What: A heart-shaped diamond weighing 56.15 carats. It was originally cut from the Cullinan Diamonds, and the Cullinan 1 is now a part of Britain's Crown Jewel collection.

The diamond was part of the Magnificent Jewels collection that went on sale at Christie's in May. Christie's marketed the diamond as "Love At First Sight," and released it for viewing on Valentine's Day.

Sale Price: $11 million

When: May 18, 2011

Where: Geneva at Christie's auction house

Emerald and diamond tiara that once belonged to Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck

What: The diamond-and-emerald confection was commissioned by German prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck for his second wife Katharina around 1900, and is believed to have belonged to Eugenie, wife of French Emperor Napoleon III.It has a row of 11 polished pear-shaped emeralds, totaling 500 carats, and was purchased by an anonymous bidder. 

Sale Price: $12.3 million 

When: May 17, 2011

Where: Geneva at Christie's auction house

**Personal favourite!!**

Wallis Simpson's Panther Bracelet

What: The onyx and diamond panther bracelet was once owned by Wallis Simpson, whose love affair with King Edward VIII led to his abdication in 1936.

It was rumored Madonna may have purchased the piece.

Sale Price: $12.4 million

When: Nov 30th, 2010

Where: Sotheby's London

Perfect pink diamond

What: A rectangular-cut fancy intense pink diamond ring weighing 14.23 carats, which is very rare for pink diamonds.

The piece was purchased by an anonymous buyer.

Sale Price: $23.2 million

When: Nov 29th, 2010

Where: Christie's Hong Kong 

Wittelsbach-Graff diamond

What: A historic cushion-cut fancy deep grayish blue diamond weighing 35.56 carats.

Laurence Graff purchased the diamond in 2008 for about $22 million. He had the diamond cut by three different diamond cutters to remove the flaws in 2010.
The diamond originates from Indian kingdom of Golkonda. It's rumored that King Philip IV of Spain purchased the jewel and included it in the dowry of his teenage daughter, Margaret Teresa, in 1664.

Sale Price: $24.3 million

When: Dec 2008

Where: Christie's London

 The most expensive piece ever purchased from auction is...

The pink round-cornered rectangular diamond 

What: A pink round-cornered rectangular step-cut diamond weighing 24.78 carats, set between shield-shaped diamond shoulders, in platinum. The diamond was formerly owned by jeweler Harry Winston. This beauty set the record for most expensive single jewel ever sold at auction. Laurence Graff renamed it "The Graff Pink."

Sale Price: $46.2 million

When: Nov 10th, 2010

Where: Geneva at Sotheby's

Wow, what a selection!

 That's me saving up now!

Love VRAT xx

Saturday - Part one.

So, I was in desperate need of a parachute (art related need), I had contacted many parachute regiments, army surplus stores and eBay sellers, hoping they would be willing to kindly donate a parachute, they could not. I managed to track one down, (hurrah!) from an independent skydiving school in a tiny place called Strathallan, near Auchterarder, near Stirling, Perthshire about an hours drive from Edinburgh i.e. Skydive Strathallan. 

It is difficult to travel there with out a car, luckily for me I have a great friend, Zeb, that can drive and agreed to take me. To my delight, my pal and Zeb's gf, Katie joined us, so did Katie's flatmate Kate and their Hungarian friend Mira. We had a packed out car and therefore decided to make a day of it!

Airfield

Zeb with my 1985 parachute!

Sweet wee plane.

 

 

 

 

I managed to get hold of a parachute from the lovely people at Strathallan skydiving centre, sadly we didn't get to see anyone sky dive as the weather was too bad, typical, however I am tempted to give it a go now!

We got a hot chocolate and continued on our journey visiting the Deil's cauldron - Crieff, Loch Earn - Perth, Loch Lubnaig -  Callander,  passed through Queens Forrest and The falls of Leny:

Kate and Zeb going for a dip in Deil's cauldron

Falls of Leny

It was a lovely day!

Love VRAT xxx

Skype Sundays

 

Now Mum has lost both her daughters to Scotland, we rely on Skype, providing us with plenty of entertainment! 

Love VRAT xxx

The beautiful Bulgari

'The stunning diamond and blue diamond crossover ring made by Bulgari comes from a private European collector and has never been seen at auction before.

The collector's father commissioned the ring from the legendary Italian jewellery house as a gift for his wife in the mid 1960s, when Bulgari was at the height of fashion and innovation.

It was a time where the world's rich and famous sought Bulgari's unique craftsmanship and high quality jewellery designs, including Elizabeth Taylor who bought much of her jewellery there.

Typical of Bulgari's elegant simplicity, the ring offered by Bonhams is set obliquely with a pear-shaped diamond, weighing 3.93 carats, D colour, VS2 clarity, and a pear-shaped fancy vivid, natural blue diamond (the highest grading for a coloured diamond), weighing 3.72 and SI2 clarity.

The term "fancy" is used to describe a diamond of intense colour and the colour "fancy vivid blue" is one of the rarest. Blue diamonds are structurally the purest of all diamonds, with barely any impurities within their crystal lattice. They account for less than one percent of all diamonds mined.

Jean Ghika, Director of jewellery comments, "Not only is this jewel an exquisite example of Bulgari's craftsmanship at this period but the fancy vivid blue diamond is an incredibly rare gem in its own right. Bonhams is honoured to have been chosen to handle the sale of this magnificent ring".'

This beautiful piece was sold at Bonhams New Bond Street on September 21st 2011 and was sold for £1,889,250 (inclusive of Buyer's Premium)!!

Love VRAT xx